HUNTER. Escort Carrier. She was lent to the Royal Navy under the Lease-Lend Treaty. Renamed HUNTER in November 1942. Complement 646. Ex TRAILER. Ex US BLOCK ISLAND. Ex Merchantman MORMAC. Built in 1942 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Westinghouse USA. 11420tn.
Armed with Two 4" Eight 40mm guns. 18 aircraft.
She was returned to U.S. Navy on 29th December 1945. Became a Merchantman name ALMDIJK in 1948
Nevis 1986. Min Sheet. $6. SG376. LB16/182-224)
Hunter
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aukepalmhof
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Re: Hunter
Built as a cargo vessel of the type C3-3-A2 under yard No294 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss. USA for the Moore-McCormack Lines.
15 May 1942 keel laid down.
22 May 1942 launched as the MORMACPENN.
Taken over by the USA Navy and refitted in an aircraft carrier. (Baby Flat Top.) The intention was that she was renamed in BLOCK ISLAND (AVG-8) but she never carried that name.
20 August 1942 redesignated ACV-8.
Displacement 10,200 standard, 14,170 full load. Dim.149.81 x 32 x 7.9m. (draught)
Powered by two steam turbines manufactured by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing, 8,500 shp, one shaft, speed 18 knots.
Armament 2 – 4 inch, 8 – 40mm and 20 – 20mm guns.
Carried 20 aircraft.
Crew 664
09 January 1943 completed.
09 January 1943 transferred via the Lend-Lease program to the U.K. and renamed HMS TRAILER but she never used this name.
11 January 1943 was she renamed in HMS HUNTER (D80) one of the Attacker-class, under command of Captain H.H. McWilliam. She was the 16th ship in the Royal Navy that carried this name.
After completing she went for exercise and trials to the West Indies. On the end of February was she operational and sailed across the Atlantic with convoy UGF6 from Hampton Road to Casablanca where she discharged aircraft and stores.
She sailed then via Gibraltar where she loaded Swordfish aircraft who were used from her deck for anti submarine patrols.
12 April 1943 arrived at Dundee for upgrading to Royal Navy standards.
July she sailed from the U.K. for operations in the Mediterranean.
On arrival Malta she joined Force V for the invasion in Salerno in Operation Avalanche.
After Force V was disbanded she returned to the U.K. for maintenance and repair.
Mid January 1944 she was again ready for duty and after a time for working up she sailed on 14th May again for the Mediterranean.
Then she took part in the invasion in Southern France, Operation Dragoon.
Between 30 September and 11 October together with other warships she carried some short strikes in the Aegean Sea against enemy shipping.
31 October she sailed from Alexandria for the U.K. where she arrived on the 10 November 1944.
In the U.K was she made ready for service in tropical waters.
21 February 1945 she sailed from the U.K. to join the East India Fleet via the Suez Canal to Trincomalee, Ceylon where she arrived off Ceylon on 20 March.
After a working up period she took part in Operation DRACULA the capture of Rangoon.
Then she moved south to attack enemy positions on the Tenasserim coast.
Then took part in Operation Dukedom the search for the Japanese carrier HAGURO which was later sunk off Sumatra.
That was the last time she came in action before the end of the war, she was one of the ships which took part in the Japanese surrender ceremony of Malaya on 2 September 1945 in Penang.
10 September 1945 she entered Singapore harbour for the surrender ceremony of this town which took place on 12 September.
09 October she sailed from Singapore bound for the U.K.
3- October she arrived in Belfast to disembark the 807 naval air squadron before sailing for the Clyde for de-storing, and then she went to Portsmouth to complete de-storing before returning to the USA and handed back to the USA Navy.
12 December she sailed from Portsmouth bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
29 December 1945 handed back at Norfolk to the US Navy.
26 February 1946 stricken.
17 January 1947 sold to the Holland Amerika Lijn and renamed ALMDIJK.
1948 Refitted in a cargo ship by Gulf Shipbuilding, Mobile, USA.
From November 1948 until 06 September 1965 sailed in the services for the Holland Amerika Line mostly to the east coast of the USA.
1965 Her last voyage was under charter for the Dutch shipping company VNS from Hamburg to Shanghai, when sailing in the Mediterranean she got engine trouble and was towed to Naples.
Repair was too costly and she was sold for scrap.
Towed from Naples to Valencia, Spain where she arrived on 02 November 1965 and was scrapped by Industrial y Comercial de Levante.
Nevis 1986 $5 scott464.
Source: http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/008.htm http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org ... HUNTER.htm
.
15 May 1942 keel laid down.
22 May 1942 launched as the MORMACPENN.
Taken over by the USA Navy and refitted in an aircraft carrier. (Baby Flat Top.) The intention was that she was renamed in BLOCK ISLAND (AVG-8) but she never carried that name.
20 August 1942 redesignated ACV-8.
Displacement 10,200 standard, 14,170 full load. Dim.149.81 x 32 x 7.9m. (draught)
Powered by two steam turbines manufactured by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing, 8,500 shp, one shaft, speed 18 knots.
Armament 2 – 4 inch, 8 – 40mm and 20 – 20mm guns.
Carried 20 aircraft.
Crew 664
09 January 1943 completed.
09 January 1943 transferred via the Lend-Lease program to the U.K. and renamed HMS TRAILER but she never used this name.
11 January 1943 was she renamed in HMS HUNTER (D80) one of the Attacker-class, under command of Captain H.H. McWilliam. She was the 16th ship in the Royal Navy that carried this name.
After completing she went for exercise and trials to the West Indies. On the end of February was she operational and sailed across the Atlantic with convoy UGF6 from Hampton Road to Casablanca where she discharged aircraft and stores.
She sailed then via Gibraltar where she loaded Swordfish aircraft who were used from her deck for anti submarine patrols.
12 April 1943 arrived at Dundee for upgrading to Royal Navy standards.
July she sailed from the U.K. for operations in the Mediterranean.
On arrival Malta she joined Force V for the invasion in Salerno in Operation Avalanche.
After Force V was disbanded she returned to the U.K. for maintenance and repair.
Mid January 1944 she was again ready for duty and after a time for working up she sailed on 14th May again for the Mediterranean.
Then she took part in the invasion in Southern France, Operation Dragoon.
Between 30 September and 11 October together with other warships she carried some short strikes in the Aegean Sea against enemy shipping.
31 October she sailed from Alexandria for the U.K. where she arrived on the 10 November 1944.
In the U.K was she made ready for service in tropical waters.
21 February 1945 she sailed from the U.K. to join the East India Fleet via the Suez Canal to Trincomalee, Ceylon where she arrived off Ceylon on 20 March.
After a working up period she took part in Operation DRACULA the capture of Rangoon.
Then she moved south to attack enemy positions on the Tenasserim coast.
Then took part in Operation Dukedom the search for the Japanese carrier HAGURO which was later sunk off Sumatra.
That was the last time she came in action before the end of the war, she was one of the ships which took part in the Japanese surrender ceremony of Malaya on 2 September 1945 in Penang.
10 September 1945 she entered Singapore harbour for the surrender ceremony of this town which took place on 12 September.
09 October she sailed from Singapore bound for the U.K.
3- October she arrived in Belfast to disembark the 807 naval air squadron before sailing for the Clyde for de-storing, and then she went to Portsmouth to complete de-storing before returning to the USA and handed back to the USA Navy.
12 December she sailed from Portsmouth bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
29 December 1945 handed back at Norfolk to the US Navy.
26 February 1946 stricken.
17 January 1947 sold to the Holland Amerika Lijn and renamed ALMDIJK.
1948 Refitted in a cargo ship by Gulf Shipbuilding, Mobile, USA.
From November 1948 until 06 September 1965 sailed in the services for the Holland Amerika Line mostly to the east coast of the USA.
1965 Her last voyage was under charter for the Dutch shipping company VNS from Hamburg to Shanghai, when sailing in the Mediterranean she got engine trouble and was towed to Naples.
Repair was too costly and she was sold for scrap.
Towed from Naples to Valencia, Spain where she arrived on 02 November 1965 and was scrapped by Industrial y Comercial de Levante.
Nevis 1986 $5 scott464.
Source: http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/008.htm http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org ... HUNTER.htm
.
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